The Essence of Engagement

July 9, 2011

Since the infancy of this campaign, volunteers from all over Louisiana state have been going door-to-door with clipboards in hand to identify and engage supporters of the 2012 campaign. This past Independence Day weekend, more than 30 volunteers were put to their greatest test yet at the annual Essence Music Festival to register voters, recruit volunteers, and survey concerns in the African American community.

Pick any one of these determined volunteers and they will tell you that the idea of engaging the sea of people moving from booth-to-booth was initially a daunting prospect, but Val R., a summer organizer based in New Orleans, had her pitch down to a science:

I found that we just had to walk up to strangers with a smile and in one sentence explain what we wanted. "Hello. Would you like to pledge to support Obama in his election campaign?" Most people were enthusiastic about getting involved and invested in the 2012 campaign.

It was an amazing effort by every volunteer who took to the crowds with the unmistakable can-do attitude of an organizer. Because of these efforts, over the course of three days of the hippest festival in America, data from more than 1,000 festival goers was collected.

Essence fest was spectacular, showing that early on in June 2011, we have support across the board from people all across the country. We got to really get into issues that people cared about. It was a great experience.

-Robin S., a Baton Rouge team leader

As State Director, Pat McCollough puts it: “Great teamwork and great results!”

Join us and be a part of the 2012 campaign. Connect with us now. See the slideshow of Essence weekend below: